Sickness Abounding

We almost never get sick, over here. Chad and I very rarely get any sickness involving vomiting, though every winter I get at least one or two of the upper-respiratory type sicknesses. But this one has hit us hard.

Monday night, we woke up to hear Bram miserably being sick in his room. His first ever, flu. The rest of the night was so sad. By morning, there was a mountain of laundry. He was sick all day, barely sleeping but only able if he was right next to me. But by evening he seemed much better and by Wednesday you'd never know he had been sick at all! Praise the Lord!

Last night, before we went to bed, Chad told me he wasn't feeling so great. I thought it probably was just the pizza not sitting right in his stomach. "He never gets sick" I thought. FAMOUS LAST WORDS.... He was so very sick, allllll night long. And even now, he's sleeping on the couch, shivering and fighting waves of sick feelings. Poor, sweet man.

So I guess this means I'll get it. At this rate it will be sometime over the weekend. Yuck, yuck, double yuck. But better now than over the holidays I say.

Hope you all are doing well and HEALTHY!!!!

Happy Hallowe'en

This year marked our first "real" Hallowe'en. Last year, I had big plans to dress Bram up and show him off to all the cute kids that came Trick or Treating but whatya you know, that silly, little five month old baby couldn't even stay up for the festivities. And only one group of kids came to our door. I was very sad.

This year, however, he was big enough to participate AND stayed up the whole time! Way to go kiddo!

Since neither Chad nor my parents let us Trick or Treat, it was a whole new experience for us as well. We did not dress up (though next year I might try it!) and since we had been out of town for the better part of last week and weren't sure we'd make it back in time, we didn't have a plan for Abraham. SO we headed to the Dollar Store.

The first plan we came up with was to use a large teddy bear and turn it into "Max" from Where the Wild Things Are but when I started make the costume I realized that we had remembered wrong and Max was a wolf not a bear with a tail. (I know, silly thought. But in my defense, it has been over 10 years since I'd read the book!)

But while at the Dollar Store we passed by the costume section and Bram grabbed a fireman helmet and wore it the whole time! A huge first for him! So after Max fizzled we decided to do a fireman instead. With Duct Tape. The tutorial we used can be found here. But it wouldn't be that hard to do without one.

So here's the boy-- very excited for his first Trick or Treating!


Trying on the costume for size...

I just love this kid so much!


"Daddy, what's going on?"

Virginia Beach Fire Department's little hero...

All the kids we went Trick or Treating with. And yes, there's another fireman! They were a huge hit togther.

He got so tired of walking around that he sat down in the middle of the street!

The Loot! Chad was so surprised at how much candy Bram got. Suprised but enjoying it!

Of course now the reality sets in--we have to/get to eat all the candy now. A week of alternating sugar rush and crashes. And then trying to squeeze into my skinny jeans again. Blah.

Pumpkin Patch Kid

Yesterday was the long awaited day at the Pumpkin Patch! We had so much fun with all the kids and discovering what a hayride was, what pumpkins are, and visiting the animals. The day itself was absolutely perfect. Here area few of the highlights:

Hello Goats!

Making friends with Mr. Scarecrow.


Come play with me little chicken!

He was a little confused as to what the pumpkins were. He would just walk around and sign "what is it?"

I tried so hard to get one of those adorable pictures with the cornstalks and pumpkins but he wouldn't look at me the whole time I was taking pictures!

This was the closest he came to looking and smiling all day. What a serious little guy!

A Joke

I know I've been out (as my mother says) "out of commish" for the last week but its been a really busy one and I've barely been on the internet much less been able to write anything. But I had to write this story, before I forget to, for posterity's sake.

What does this....

...have to do with this?


So this past Sunday, we got up a bit late, I had to rush through my shower and instead of blowing my hair dry (or not, as is usually the case) I put in a set of Japanese hair sticks and ran out the door. When we got to church, I went to take Bram out of the car and he started waving his arms and pointing at my head. I signed "what?" to him and asked what he was pointing at. He kept pointing at my head and finally he signed "bunny"!

We laughed and laughed! To him my hairsticks looked like bunny ears! It was his first joke. So cute.

Rainy Day Blues

(Rain, rain go away...Little Bram and I want to play!)

Why is it that as soon as you decide you're going to make a change for the better, something gets in your way?

I told myself that this year I was going to build the discipline of exercise in my life. I decided walking would be the easiest and most consistent way to accomplish with a very active tiny toddler. I even bought a stroller because Bram was getting too heavy for the slings. But after a couple of weeks of doing pretty good...rain, rain, and more rain! I forgot how rainy the fall is!

So I guess it's back to squeezing in a Yoga video! Wish me luck in attempting Downward Dog with a helpful partner...

P.S. The clouds parted this afternoon and we were able to squeeze in a walk! Yipee!

What kind of mama are you?

I just finished taking the Mothering Styles personality quiz. Not surprisingly, I was an INTP (Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, Perceiving) or as they described it "The Love of Learning" mother.

Its always surprising to me how close these tests come to describing me and this test was no different. The results describe me exactly as a mother, even a brand, spankin' new mama!

So what does a "Love of Learning" mama look like? She:

* fills her house with books and directs her children towards them for answers.
* encourages her children to discover their world on their own terms and lets them build confidence by making their own mistakes and discovering their own solutions.
* enjoys watching her children grow into emotionally intelligent persons and learns as much from them as she tries to impart to them.
* does not handle the craziness and confusion that frequently comes with family life very well.
* frequently struggles to maintain a routine or build the consistent structure needed in a family life.
* loses herself in her own INTP needs and worries that she is distant or detached from her children.

The tips they gave for INTP mamas were spot on.
1) set aside regular times for "mind time' doing things you can lose yourself in, like, knitting, reading, thinking, etc. This time is NOT a luxury but instead a necessity. It's what recharges and INTP mama and enables her to give to her family.
2) Many INTP mamas need to get up earlier than their children, stay up later or use nap times for this necessary recharge time.
3) Most INTP mamas feel they are very different than traditional mothers so need to trust their instincts and simply enjoy the relationship they have with their child.

Wow! This is me to "T"! Many of these very things are struggles I've had recently and am trying to implement solutions for right now.

Take the quiz and let me know what you get!

Love, Love, Love...

We've been working on getting Bram to sleep through the night (or at least longer!) for the past few weeks. Last night, we put him to bed at his new official bedtime of 8pm and he fell asleep very well. But at 11, he was back awake and trying very hard to stay that way.

So I climbed into bed with him and tried to nurse him a bit, hoping he would fall back asleep soon. He did, and what happened next is one of those wonderful "mommy moments" you will never forget.

He was sleeping, snuggled next to me and he began to stir like he was dreaming. And then he reached up and signed "mama" several times! My heart melted! It was the sweetest thing I had ever seen. He was "talking" in his sleep!

It was especially wonderful for me because although I knew he knew the sign for mama, he never signs it around me, only with Chad when he wants me.

So wonderful!
(While I never see Abraham sign my name, I managed to get a picture of him signing "daddy")

New Year's resolutions

True Confessions: I've never been much of a New Year's person. It really doesn't seem like a holiday or even a special day to me. Most years, after all the fun of Christmas, I forget it's even coming up, so I guess it goes without saying-I'm not much of a New Year's resolutions kinda gal either.

Making big resolutions and proclamations of grand goals at New Year's seem to go against human nature so when challenged by reality they end up discouraging and depressing us instead of spurring on to greater heights. And combined with making them at the darkest, snowiest/rainiest/cloudiest time of year, it seems like a recipe for disaster. It's no wonder by spring most resolutions are cast aside and forgotten.

But despite my opinions on New Year's, I went against my habits and made some resolutions this year.

There is something about having a baby that makes you live so in the moment that you lose sight of the greater world and your whole person. I was warned about this phenomenon while pregnant but now it's so real. I love my baby so much I am willing to drop everything for him and tend to his needs. But, when I am old, I want to look back on my life having achieved certain goals and being a certain kind of person. I want to learn to balance what's happening now with my whole life.

So in light of those two opposites I thought long and hard about what goals I wanted to achieve this year and balanced them against the reality of having a small child before making any commitments. I thought about what disciplines/life skills I would like to have deeply ingrained by next year and came up with a list. I though about what I would need to adjust or delete from my life to make each one work because as we all know, in a perfect world we can just keep adding more and more to our life but in the real world, by saying "yes" to something, we are saying "no" to something else. I looked at what I would need to buy or acquire to achieve the different goals. When whittled down, the end result surprised me.

My Resolutions:
1)Do a devotion everyday.
2)Write a post on my blog once or twice a week
3)Incorporate as many of the FlyLady habits as possible.

I also came up with two skills I want to became markedly better at by next year:
1)Become more proficient at knitting, specifically learn how to knit cables.
2)Learn how to bake artisan bread in my oven.

I was surprised that losing the last of the "baby weight" didn't make it on the list. I was also surprised that reading certain books or certain reading lists didn't make it either. What made it on my list answered "yes" to these questions

1) Do I have the means to make it happen right now?
2) Will I have the money to make this goal achievable through the whole year?
3) Is this goal small enough to work towards with a baby?
4) Is this goal large enough to change who I am?
5) Do I need think "out of the box" in order to achieve this goal?
6) Am I doing this for my personal growth or because I feel pressure from someone/something?

By trying to answer these questions honestly, especially the last one, I really feel I will be able accomplish my goals this year. Here are a few of the ways I plan trying to do this.

Morning devotions have always been a problem for me mainly because I'm not a morning person! And since my son is not sleeping through the night yet, it's unrealistic for me to try and be up before him to do a devotion. So I'm accomplishing my goal by putting all of my devotionals in various rooms of the house that way when I have few minutes, one of them is available.

For my blog writing goal I'm aiming towards 1-2 posts a week. Instead of setting up a schedule that may or may not work, I'm just trying to post more often. If I get out 2 in one day, I'm done. I get one done that week, I'm still accomplishing my goal.

And for the FlyLady, she sends out an email everyday of the tasks you should do. If get all of them done-Great! If I just get my sink shined by bedtime- also great.

Hopefully by doing this with a thoughtful, truthful approach, I will be able to accomplish so much more than I have in the past!

So here's to a great year!

(photo/comic strip- Bill Watterson)

things I've learned from wearing my baby

I love wearing my baby. It's almost an addiction (I can quit anytime, really!). When I get out my sling, my son starts kicking his feet and squealing in delight, which gives me the biggest mommy high. Sometime I think he might love it as much as I do!

When I was still working, a lady came in to my store with her one week old baby snugly wrapped in this crazy, bright orange, stretchy, bedsheet, wrapped around her body*. I was absolutely fascinated. While pregnant, I knew I wanted to have baby carrier, for the occasional convenience factor, but I didn't know anything about the world of "babywearing". My first sling was a disaster. Purchased at a big box store, I thought all slings were alike. My tiny son soon let me know this was not the case.

A few weeks later, I borrowed a Baby Bjorn from a friend for an all day 4th of July event. It was awesome! I delayed giving it back for as long as I could. Unfortunately, I had to give it back right before our move, which only served to confirm how essential a carrier is.

A few weeks later, while unpacking, I unearthed a sling one of my best friends gave me at my baby shower. I noticed it was a brand I heard of through my midwifery practice's online discussion group. With a few YouTube lessons on how to use it under my belt, and a day hasn't gone by that I don't use it.

So here's what I've learned:

1) Babies are learning about their larger world while being worn.
My son is incredibly curious. He wants to be in the center of everything, looking, touching, tasting whatever he can get his hands on. This is not unusual for babies or particular to my son. But what strikes me as odd is how is often other people comment on it. Almost every time we go out, someone will say to me "What a smart baby- you can see he's really taking in his world" or something similar. Because he is completely integrated in my world, he is learning more about HIS world.

2)Babies are learning about emotions while being worn
Kids are amazingly intuitive. Body language is virtually their only way to communicate with the world. When my son is in his sling, he is constantly "checking in" to see how I am reacting to life. Because he's physically close to me for a large part of his day, he can tell if I am happy, sad, sick, or stressed by my body language. Since I am aware of this, I try very hard to make sure I demonstrate healthy way of dealing with all that life gives me.

3) Babies are learning about love while being worn
When I am wearing my son, I've noticed that I am far more loving and attentive to him. I talk to him constantly, we make eye contact, I'll scratch his back, or snuggle him in hug. He coos at me, scratches my "back" (really my arm since that's as far as he can reach!) and nuzzles his head down on my chest. The sling facilitates this so much better than when I have him in a bouncy seat or playing on the floor. He's also able to witness loving behavior between his daddy and I when in the sling and close to us. I pray that translates to a healthy marriage for him, in the future.

***One disclaimer though--I do not believe this means babies who are not worn are going to be deficient in giving or receiving love! There is much more to it than that! But in my very limited experience, it is easier for me to demonstrate healthy love while wearing a sling which as I said, I hope will allow him to have a healthy framework to start his life with.

* I later found out this was a Moby Wrap style carrier. I want one in the worst way!

Weekend Update

This weekend I came down with a lovely cold. At first I thought it was just allergies, so I didn't stop loving on/kissing/snuggling the Baby Bug, but... when I woke up Saturday unable to breathe, I felt immediate remorse. So far he seems fine, some small symptoms, but nothing too bad. I'm just worried that if he does get sick we will have to pay out of pocket because the insurance company is taking their sweet time putting him on our policy. I have a love/hate relationship with insurance. They seem so out of tune with the real needs of the people who pay them but the alternative is SO much worse. Customer service that takes days, weeks, months or government "help" that take years? Anyway, I'll just hop off my little soap box....

So this weekend was fun. We....

.... made some money selling our moving boxes on Craigslist! Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

.... had a cheap date at Sonic- we ordered off their Dollar Menu! I really like their Jr. Burgers. Just the right size for a woman trying to lose here "baby belly"!

....checked out a new grocery store called "Bottom Dollar Foods". It seems like it will be a great place for us to shave some $$$ off the grocery budget. Their prices are less than some other stores and they accept coupons. The produce was great, even better than some of the upscale stores in the area.The only drawback is that it's kind of far and not in the best area. I'll let you know how the deals pan out.

....made my own laundry detergent. So far it works better than the stuff from the store and much cheaper too!

....used RedBox for the first time!

So all in all a great weekend.

(Photo: Prevention Magazine Online)